MetLife to move 2,600 jobs to NC from NE, Calif.

EMERY P. DALESIO, AP Business Writer

Insurance giant MetLife Inc. is moving 2,600 jobs from offices in four Northeast states and California to North Carolina, which is offering tax and other incentives that could be worth almost $100 million.

The insurer said Thursday it is shifting the jobs from Lowell and Boston, Mass.; Somerset, N.J.; Bloomfield, Conn.; Johnstown, Pa.; Warwick, R.I.; and Aliso Viejo and Irvine, Calif.

The positions will be consolidated in Charlotte and the Raleigh suburb of Cary, with each landing about 1,300 jobs. Charlotte will be the U.S. headquarters for MetLife's retail business, while Cary becomes a global technology and operations hub.

MetLife spokesman John Calagna said the company employs about 23,000 U.S. administrative staffers and the consolidation will allow teams to work in the same location while cutting MetLife's real estate presence.